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The term social justice was intended to create a balance between fairness, equality, and privilege. It holds the principle that all humans are entitled to some form or degree of rights as human beings; as we all share similar characteristics and interests as humans. Just like social justice, global social justice seeks to promote the same human rights of fairness and equality, but on a much larger global scale; where all individuals moral values are protected “irrespective of their national or territorial location, and where environmental rights and freedoms are cultural enabling, clean and safe for all individuals” (Quist-Adade, SOCI 2235: Social Theory and Social Justice, 2013, p. 24). It encourages government, public services, and individual people to provide the bare social minimum to people around the world, and requires each country to be held accountable for all human rights. What is meant by the bare social minimum is the minimum behaviours and actions people should expect in a social context or where one is not alone. It requires us to see that we are all interlinked, and must do what we can to support one another; within our structured society, because we are all human, and that would be the humane thing to do (a virtuous characteristic exhibited by humans). Global Sociological Imagination is “a capacity, ability, or a quality of mind that allows an individual to understand and connect their life with the forces and dynamics that impact it” (Quist-Adade, SOCI 2235: Social Theory and Social Justice, 2013, p. 7). It identifies that individuals are, co-dependent of each-other (because they are an interlinked human species).

Sociologist must seek to continually debunk social systems and their structures to better understand the root causes and methods of human social interactions, as well as be able to clearly identify the true driving forces of human behaviour; in order to attempt to identify or explain human behaviours properly. Global Sociological Imagination seeks to penetrate the surface assumptions of human behaviours, in order to critical analyze and evaluate the theories and its usefulness to society. It is the social actions and interactions that effect or contribute to the large group or mass volume of humans.

The principles of Sociological Imagination are utilized “based upon two essential tasks: 1) understanding the human biography, social structures, and history, and 2) differentiating personal (independent individual) problems from public issues” ” (Quist-Adade, Lecture Notes 1, 2013, p. 7). Sociologists must attain the ability to break factors of behaviour and outcomes of behaviour into individual parts or variables; and attempt to identify the dependant variables from independent ones; in order to more accurately identify the implications, understand results, and predict future social events and structural changes.

Both Sociological Imagination and Global Sociological Imagination are social concepts that are inter-related, because in order to provide global social justice, one must be able to both understand and connect with other social cultures and environments on a smaller scale; by identifying how we –as individuals- are all interlinked.

Capitalism is an economic term to describe a style of governing people within its structural limits. According to Dr.CQA, “Capitalism is an economic system in which trade, industry and the means of production are controlled by private self-interest owners with the goal of making personal profits; and that the individual rights of people extend to rights of life, liberty, property, and voluntary contractual exchange” (Quist-Adade, SOCI 2235: Social Theory and Social Justice, 2013, p. 61). It requires that the governing system remain un-involved in personal economic matters, with the notion that people are rational thinkers, and have the ability to maximize their own worth, minimize their own losses, and enter into contracts that economic harmony; thus they support private ownership as means of production.

Socialism focuses more on “public ownership as a means of production, with the idea of having collective goals and centralized decision making” (Quist-Adade, SOCI 2235: Social Theory and Social Justice, 2013, p. 62). It removes the right to private property, and places responsibility on the government for dictating the means of economic production; in hopes of creating fairness and equality among its members.

From a sociological perspective, I would have to disagree that a capital system is truly functional; as not all people are rational beings. As well, I believe that a social system, if structured fairly and accurately will produce the best outcome, as it encompasses the views of many and represents the thoughts and wishes of the majority.

“Mechanical solidarity occurs in traditional, small, and early societies; that share similar values and norms, and support each-other” (Quist-Adade, SOCI 2235: Social Theory and Social Justice, 2013, p. 28). It is this structure of shared norms, connections and values that create an immense force which that strongly governs the behaviours of individuals within that society.

Organic solidarity identifies the growth and developments from the traditional into more modern and larger scale societies; where individual lifestyles may vary because of specialization. According to Dr. CQA, organic solidarity “demands different treatment for different people” (Quist-Adade, SOCI 2235: Social Theory and Social Justice, 2013, p. 29); because of the dependence people have on more advanced societies. This would mean that larger societies are governed by different norms and values based upon different circumstances and varieties of labour. Durheim describes these solidarities as a natural social process of division of labour.

Just like social justice, global social justice seeks to promote the same human rights of fairness and equality on a more global scale; where individuals moral values are protected “irrespective of their national or territorial location, and where environmental rights and freedoms are cultural enabling, clean and safe for all individuals” (Quist-Adade, SOCI 2235: Social Theory and Social Justice, 2013, p. 24). It encourages to provide the bare social minimum to people around the world, and requires each country to be held accountable for all human rights.

Global Sociological Imagination is “a capacity, ability, or a quality of mind that allows an individual to understand and connect their life with the forces and dynamics that impact it” (Quist-Adade, SOCI 2235: Social Theory and Social Justice, 2013, p. 7). It identifies that individuals are interlinked structure of society, co-dependent of each-other; and sociologist must be able to clearly identify the forces of behaviour, in order to identify or explain it properly. It seeks to penetrate the surface, and be critical analysts in evaluating theories and its usefulness to society.

These two social concepts are inter-related in that in order to provide global social justice, one must be able to both understand and connect with other social cultures and environments; by identifying how we are all interlinked.

Binaries are norms or customs that “reflect hegemonic (influential) ideas and stereotypes that come from dominant ideologies” (Quist-Adade, SOCI 2235: Social Theory and Social Justice, 2013, p. 8), of other cultures or societies that maybe foreign to us. It identifies the conflicts and behaviours that arise from influential norms and stereotypes within a society. An example of a binary would be to say that car accidents are a direct result of poor driving laws; where it may in fact be due to other factors.

“Dialectics are the opposite of Binaries, and involve a cyclical process of conflict and struggle of opposite positions; guided by the law of change” (Quist-Adade, SOCI 2235: Social Theory and Social Justice, 2013, p. 8). It is the idea of the conflict/struggle that allows for a new perspective to emerge; thus creating a stronger, more accurate and appropriate view. According to Dr. CQA, Hegel called this “the law of the dialectics, which uses the original thesis (view), and with the anti-thesis (conflict or opposition) creates a synthesis (the fusion of the two)” (Quist-Adade, SOCI 2235: Social Theory and Social Justice, 2013, pp. 8-9). An example would be to argue that driving laws are actually due to poor driving experience/age of the driver; so government imposes stronger driving laws on youths.

Human rights “refers to the entitled rights, freedoms, privileges, and protections of all individuals or groups, by their membership in humanity; or by virtuous character, and are seen as fundamentally essential basic human needs ” (Quist-Adade, SOCI 2235: Social Theory and Social Justice, 2013, p. 7). Human rights are designed to protect the dignity of all humans, by enforcing regulations upon society that help guide the social interactions of all humans. Human rights are similar to Social Justice in that they both aim to protect individual rights and freedoms, and support moral dignity of all humans. They both aim to promote fairness among social interactions and govern the behaviours within society, except human rights dictates the grounds in which promotes that fairness; whereas social justice aims to seek the balance and defines the methods of doing so.

Social justice seeks to implement social conditions, rules, regulations, or policies that promote fairness and equality among people within the constructs of society or group of people. According to Dr. CQA, it “promotes equitable distribution of valued resources, and removes barriers that hinder a fair and equitable society” (Quist-Adade, SOCI 2235: Social Theory and Social Justice, 2013, p. 7). It aims to allow each individual to exert their own potential, based on human rights privileges; meaning that they cannot be denied justice based on race, gender, colour, religion, etc. Social Justice is both important as both a concept and as a practice because it is based on moral human values of basic human entitlements and protections, within the application of human rights. “It defines the quality and fairness, and truth” (Quist-Adade, SOCI 2235: Social Theory and Social Justice, 2013, p. 7) of actions, and governs the behaviours within our society.